Outstanding International Books for Grades PreK-2

The Outstanding International Books list recognizes outstanding books published or distributed in the United States that originated or were first published in a country other than the United States. Titles are selected annually by the United States Board on Books for Young People, the U.S. national section of the International Board on Books for Young People.

Updated December 18, 2024
C
CU CatalogChampaign Children's Team
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9 kilometers
Aguilera, Claudio
Paper Book
The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding International Books List - PreK-2 (2024) Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Books of the Year List (2023) The New York Public Library Best Books for Kids List (2023) ...
Ancient night
Bowles, David
Paper Book
Publishers Weekly Best of the Year BookPage Best of the Year Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Evanston Library Best of the Year Horn Book 2023 Summer Reading List "Vivid and vibrant." --NPR...
I have the right
Dalvand, Reza
Paper Book
A BOOKSTAGANG FUTURE CLASSIC, 2023 A stunningly illustrated and essential volume on children's rights: an introduction for kids and a reminder for adults. I have the right to have a name and a nationality. I have the right to the best healthcare. I have the...
Wind : discovering air in motion
Fadeeva, Olʹga
Paper Book
The Children's Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year List - STEM & Outstanding Merit (2024) The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding International Books List - PreK-2 (2024) ...
At the drop of a cat
Fontenaille, Élise
Paper Book
With lush art by two-time NYT Best Illustrated recipient Violeta Lópiz, a picture book about a boy and his larger-than-life immigrant grandfather, who shares with him the kind of learning that's not taught in classrooms. ★ A New York Times/New York Public...
Adam and His Tuba
Gombac, Ziga X.
Paper Book
"Readers will be left screaming, 'Encore!'" -Kirkus Reviews A playful book about finding your own path. Everyone in the circus loves to perform - except for Adam, the youngest member of the Von Trapeze family. Wherever Adam Von Trapeze's family...
The amazing and true story of Tooth Mouse Pérez
Herreros, Ana Cristina
Paper Book
Does every country have a Tooth Fairy? Well, in Spain and other Spanish- speaking countries, it happens to be a Tooth Mouse, and this is his story! ★ A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2023 ★ A 2024 USBBY Outstanding International...
The tunnel
Howden, Sarah
Paper Book
A spare, powerful story about taking space to process difficult feelings  After something bad happens, a boy feels sad and gray. Mom and Aunt Cheryl try to talk about it, but he feels like running away. So he picks up a shovel and starts digging a tunnel from his room, deep down...
The depth of the lake and the height of the sky
Kim, Jihyun
Paper Book
'Astonishing to behold.' --The New York Times It's summertime and a boy and his dog are leaving behind their apartment in the busy city. His grandparents' home in the countryside feels like a different world. From the window, the curious boy sees a path leading enticingly into the...
My grandmom
Lee, Gee-eun
Paper Book
From an award-winning Korean author comes a charming and joyful story of the bond between a little girl and her grandma. Gee-eun is a little girl whose parents work a lot. So she spends her days with her beloved grandmother. Grandma comforts Gee-eun when she's sad to see her parents...
The shade tree
Lee, Suzy
Paper Book
From Hans Christian Andersen award winner Suzy Lee comes an inventive retelling of a Korean folk tale about a young traveler who outwits a rich, selfish man to ensure that villagers will always be able to rest in the shade of a magnificent tree. "A gorgeous fable celebrating...
A place for Pauline
Mahiout, Anouk
Paper Book
As the eldest child in a large family, Pauline struggles to find her niche, and she longs for peace and quiet -- a charming story in graphic-novel style. Pauline lives with her mother, father, little brother and sister, and there's a new baby on the way. Her friends tell her she's lucky to...
Rosie runs
Maijala, Marika
Paper Book
Rosie dreams of forests, meadows, hares, and freedom. Trapped at the racetrack, she sprints in endless circles - until one day, Rosie makes a fearless beeline to the enormous world beyond the track. Scared and a little excited too, Rosie runs through shadowy forests, a circus, a bustling train...
I am you : a book about ubuntu
Moahloli, Refiloe
Paper Book
We may be different, but our hearts beat the same. In southern Africa, there is a belief called ubuntu--the idea that we are all connected. No matter where we're from or who we are, a person is a person through their connections to other people. With simple, lyrical text and...
Rainbow hands
Nainy, Mamta
Paper Book
When a young boy paints his nails with his mom's nail polish, he discovers the most important thing of all: the magic of being his true self. As the long late summer day stretches ahead of them, a young boy eagerly looks forward to his favorite time--painting-your-nails...
Friend of numbers : the life of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan
Narayanan, Priya (Children's author)
Paper Book
The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding International Books List - PreK-2 (2024) A memorable, inspiring introduction to a groundbreaking figure in STEM history. Growing up in southern India during British rule, Srinivasa...
The boy who tried to shrink his name
Parappukkaran, Sandhya
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Alma and How She Got Her Name and Your Name Is a Song, author Sandhya Parappukkaranand illustrator Michelle Pereira'spicture book The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Nameencourages readers to take up space and support each other...
A daydreamy child takes a walk
Rodari, Gianni
Paper Book
Written by Gianni Rodari, the father of modern Italian children's literature, and charmingly illustrated by award-winning artist Beatrice Alemagna, this bright, sweet story reminds us what children are really like in the most essential and beautiful way! Little Giovanni is...
Telling stories wrong
Rodari, Gianni
Paper Book
A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2022 ? Everyone knows how "Little Red Riding Hood" goes. But Grandpa keeps getting the story all wrong, with hilarious results! "Once upon a time, there was a little girl...
Colorful Mondays : a bookmobile spreads hope in Honduras
Rodríguez, Nelson
Paper Book
The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding International Books List - PreK-2 (2024) A beautiful, empowering story about the impact of literacy in underprivileged communities, based on a real bookmobile program in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. ...
Ludwig and the rhinoceros : a philosophical bedtime story
Schneider, Noemi
Paper Book
"Hugely entertaining." -Mac Barnett for The New York Times Does something exist even if you can't see it? A humorous bedtime story for budding philosophers. "There's a rhinoceros in my room!" Ludwig claims. His father doesn't think so. He looks for the huge...
Yellow butterfly : a story from Ukraine
Shatokhin, Oleksandr
Paper Book
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year A USBBY Outstanding International Book 2024 ★ "Provocative, powerful, breathtakingly beautiful." -STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews ★ "Both timely and timeless, evoking war and its...
Bedtime for Bo
Skomsvold, Kjersti A.
Paper Book
A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2022 ★ Stretch like a giraffe and snuggle like a meerkat with Bo and Mommy as they get ready for bed! It's time for bed, but little Bo isn't ready to...
When the sakura bloom
Togo, Narisa
Paper Book
"An understated ode to an iconic Japanese cultural celebration, mindfulness, and the restorative power of the seasons."Kirkus Reviews ...
The young teacher and the great serpent
Vasco, Irene
Paper Book
The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding International Books List - PreK-2 (2024) The New York Times New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Books Award (2023) A stunningly illustrated fable about cultural...
The bear and the wildcat
Yumoto, Kazumi.
Paper Book
A picture book with delicate illustrations that explains the path of grief, ending with the uplifting new beginning of a budding friendship based on understanding. A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2023 When the little bird dies, his friend the bear is inconsolable. Full of...
Playing with lanterns
Wang, Yage (College teacher)
Paper Book
Zhao Di wishes the New Year would never end! Zhao Di and her friends are excited to go out at night with their paper lanterns and celebrate Chinese New Year. Each holding a unique colorful lantern with a lit candle inside, they admire the breathtaking colors while doing their best...

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